More and more doctors in Germany come from abroad, especially in human and dental medicine, where their share has grown markedly over the past decade. According to the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) on Tuesday, 13 % of all doctors in 2024-about 64,000 people-did not hold German citizenship. Ten years earlier the share was 7 % (around 30,000). For all employed persons the foreign‑nationality share was 15 % in 2024 versus 9 % in 2014. Among foreign doctors in 2024 almost half (49 %) were younger than 35, whereas only 18 % of German doctors were of that age.
The influx of foreign doctors is also reflected in migration statistics. In 2024 a total of 121,000 doctors from abroad worked in Germany, roughly 24 % of all doctors. Many of those have now obtained German citizenship-51 000, or 42 % of the migrant doctors, had lived in Germany for less than ten years. It is unclear whether these doctors completed their full training abroad before moving to Germany.
Foreign qualifications can be fully recognized in Germany, with or without local medical studies and licensing. In 2024, doctors were the second profession after nursing staff to receive the highest number of full equivalence recognitions. About 7,000 doctors with overseas qualifications were granted full equivalence, including 21 % (around 1,400) German graduates and 11 % (almost 800) Syrian graduates. In dental medicine the seventh most recognitions were granted, with nearly 700 fully recognized foreign qualifications in 2024. German dentists received 46 % (approximately 300), followed by Syrians at 12 % (around 100).
These data show that many German students opt to study medicine abroad, often to bypass the limited local admission slots. In 2023, around 2,600 German medical students studied in Austria, and in 2024 close to 1,900 studied in Hungary. For dental medicine, the majority of German overseas students went to Austria (500) and Hungary (300).
The number of new medical students in Germany’s first semester has risen almost steadily. In the winter term 2024/25, 15,900 students began human medicine-a 30 % increase over the term 2014/15 (12,200). Dental medicine’s first‑semester enrolment has barely changed, standing at just under 2,000 students in 2024/25, 1 % higher than in 2014/15. By contrast, overall first‑semester enrolments across all fields fell by 3 % to 651,000 in 2024/25.
A significant portion of German doctors are expected to retire soon because of age. In 2024, 31 % of doctors in human and dental medicine were 55 years or older, a share higher than the 27 % seen across all employed persons. The total number of doctors grew by 21 % over ten years to 497,000 in 2024. Still, the proportion of those aged 55 or older rose from 29 % in 2014 to 31 % in 2024. The middle‑aged group declined: 47 % were aged 35‑54 in 2024 versus 52 % in 2014. The share of doctors under 35 rose slightly to 22 % from 19 %. Foreign doctors account for most of this young cohort-49 % were under 35 in 2024.
Working hours for doctors in human and dental medicine have fallen sharply over the decade, partly due to increased part‑time employment. In 2014, 15 % of doctors worked part time; by 2024, that figure had risen to 28 %. For all employed people the part‑time share grew from 28 % to 31 % in the same period.
Despite these cuts, doctors still work longer than average. In 2024 they averaged 40.3 hours per week (46.0 in full time, 25.6 in part time), roughly six hours more per week than the overall workforce, which averaged 34.4 hours (40.3 in full time, 20.9 in part time).
Within human and dental medicine, working hours differ markedly by specialty. Surgeons in full time work an average of 49.7 hours per week-a full six and a half hours more than dentists and orthodontists, who average 43.1 hours in full time, according to Destatis.